A Sharp Eye on the Goodwood Revival, Part 4

A Miura and Countach at the Lamborghini display.

Rare to see an exhibition which boasts both the Lamborghini tractors and cars. This is a DL30 dating from 1956.

Islero.

Jota.

400GT 2+2.

Miura and Espada.

An FL4 tractor from 1961. These were Lamborghini’s bread and butter.

Getting tyred.

The Bikini is 70, designed in 1946 by French engineer Louis Réard. He named the swimsuit after Bikini Atoll, where testing on the atomic bomb was taking place. Fashion designer Jacques Heim, also from France, released a similar two piece design earlier that same year, the Atome. So, dear readers are the Goodwood girls in Bikinis or Atomes?

The big Ferrari 4.5 in the pits.

New meaning to “Hey LITTLE Cobra”.

Football (Soccer) supporters. This year the Goodwood time machine transported the crowd back to Saturday, the 31st July 1966, the morning of the World Cup final. Excitement builds toward the kick off at 3pm. England verse West Germany; Who will be victorious?

Goodwood greats on grid. The Goodwood motor circuit closed to motor racing 50 years ago.

More greats on the grid.

The bike was not for sale, the jackets hanging behind it were. They are special Belstaff Goodwood jackets.

And you thought the Chevy would be more reliable…

Well at least they got the joke.

From 1500cc to a full 3 liters at the stroke of a pen…

Just color…

They are singing, actually.

Tec Mec being given a checkup.

1959 AEC Regent Bus with a Hillman Minx alongside.

Cobras transported via Fiat.

North American Aviation P51D-20NA 44-72216 Mustang is a very special example of a very special aeroplane. HO-M Miss Helen was delivered to the USAAF 487th FS 352 FG of the US 8th Army Air Force. Flown as Miss Helen by Captain Raymond Littage and as Miss Nita by Lt Russell Ross. The 352 Fighter Group were known as the Blue nose Bastards of Bodney. Miss Helen is credited with several confirmed kills and is the last original 352 FG Mustang in existence. In 1948 72216 was transferred to the Swedish air force before being sold in 1953 to the Israeli air force. In 1976 she was rescued from a playground in Israeli by Robs Lamplough. Registered as G-BIXL to Robs in 1981. With restoration complete she was flown as Miss L in the feature film Memphis Belle in 1987. In 2000 she was restored to her original Miss Helen markings. Now owned by Robert Tyrell.

Operated by the RAF’s Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) Vickers Supermarine Spitfire MK2A P7350 is the oldest airworthy Spitfire in the world and is the only example still flying that fought in the Battle of Britain. P7350 is believed to be the 14th of 11989 examples built at the Castle Bromwich shadow factory. She entered service with 266 squadron based at Wittering and Hornchurch in August 1940 at the height of the battle. She was transferred in October 1940 to 603 (City of Edinburgh) squadron also based at Hornchurch as one of 13 to replace the squadrons older MK1 Spitfires. On the 25th October 1940 whilst being flown by Polish pilot Ludwik Martel, P7350 was hit by cannon fire from an ME109 in the left hand wing. Ludwik was wounded by shrapnel in his left leg and body but managed to remain conscious and landed, wheels up in a field near Hastings on the Sussex Coast. Ludwik returned to combat in December 1940 but P7350 did not return to operations until 1941 following repairs by Morris Motors of Cowley. In April 1942 P7350 was withdrawn from operational flying having previously been flown by 616 Squadron at Tangmere and 64 Squadron at Hornchurch flying fighter sweeps over occupied France. In 1948 she was sold for £25 to John Dale and Company as scrap. Luckily her historical importance was recognized and she was saved from the torch and donated to the RAF Museum. She was then returned to flying condition for the 1968 Battle of Britain film. Today she carries the markings of a MK1a Spitfire flown by the top scoring pilot of the Battle of Britain, Eric Lock of No 41 Squadron.

Also operated by the BBMF, Hawker Hurricane MK11c LF363 was built at the Hawker factory in Langley near Slough and first flew in January 1944. LF363 is believed to be the last Hurricane to enter RAF service. She flew with 63 Squadron based at Turnhouse and No 309 Squadron (Polish) at Drem, flying shipping protection sorties and then with No 26 Squadron flying reconnaissance and naval gunnery spotting until the end of the war. She was then stored in the open at Langley waiting to be scrapped. Her survival in 1949 was due to the intervention of Air Commodore (later Air Vice Marshall) Stanley Vincent CB, DFC, AFC who after arranging for her to be made airworthy flew her as the lead aircraft in the Battle of Britain flypast over London in September 1949. Between 1949 and 1956 LF363 was held under maintenance somewhat unofficially by various squadrons before becoming, in 1957, one of the founding aircraft in the forerunner of the BBMF, the Historical Aircraft Flight. On the 11th September 1991, following a major engine failure she crashed onto the runway at RAF Wittering. Thankfully the pilot only sustained minor injuries. Unfortunately LF363 was badly damaged by the impact and subsequent fire. She was restored by Historic Flying Ltd between 1994 and 1998 before returning to the BBMF. Today she carries the markings of Hurricane MK1 P3395 registration JX-B Sargent Arthur Clowes of number 1 squadron.

Vickers Supermarine Spitfire MK9 MH434 has to be the most famous Spitfire in the world. At the first Goodwood Revival in the hands of the late great Ray Hanna, MH434 opened the event by being flown along the Goodwood start/finish straight, towards Lord March who was coming the other way in a Bristol, at Grandstand roof height. I have a photograph of that event on my wall and most of the people in the photo are ducking. Built at Castle Bromwich in August 1943 her first air tested was flown by the famous test pilot Alex Henshaw. By September MH343 had already seen action at the hands of her pilot Flight Lt. Henry Lardner Burke of 222 Squadron. By the war’s end MH434 had claimed several FW190s and BF109s. In 1947 she was purchased by the Royal Netherlands Air force seeing service in the far east flying mainly ground strafing and light bombing missions. She went on to suffer a crash landing in Semarang Java. Repaired and returned to Holland she flew again in 1953. She then passed into the hands of the Belgium Air Force being used by the 13th wing and also the advanced pilot school. She was put up for sale in March 1956 and was purchased by airline pilot Tim Davis and returned to the UK. Registered as G-ASJV she was flown mainly for pleasure. In 1968 she was purchased by Hamish Mahaddie for use in the Battle of Britain film. Once filming had finished she was put up for sale again and was purchased by Sir Adrian Swire, the chairman of Cathy Pacific Airlines. Ray Hanna first flew her in 1970 and a great partnership was born. Ray finally purchased her at auction in 1983.

Spitfire ace Nigel Lamb.

Nigel Lamb’s office.

Getting airborne…

Blenheim bomber. This Bristol Blenheim G-BPIV is the world’s only flying example. Originally restored to flying condition in 1993, G-BPIV became the darling of the airshow circuit until suffering a landing accident in 2003. Superbly restored again by her dedicated team of engineers she now flies as a MK1 with the shorter nose, which incidentally had once been used as the body of a home made electric car.